System for cooling air by subterranean means



H. W. SPOERL SYSTEM FOR COOLING AIR BY SUBTERRANEAN MEANS Aug. 20, 1963 Filed April 24, 1962 Hans W Spa erl,

INVENTOR,

3,100,973 Patented Aug. 20, 1963 3,100,973 SYSTEM FOR COOLING AIR BY SUBTERRANEAN MEANS Hans W. Spoerl, 2015 th Ave. S., Great Falls, Mont. Filed Apr. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 189,895 4 Claims. (Cl. 62-260) This invention relates to a cooling system for the air within buildings of all types, although especially applicable to dwellings.

A prime object is to provide novel inexpensive unitary means of a character to cool the entire home or other building as contnasted with the necessity of employing individual cooling units for each room thereof and bearing their heavy cost.

A second object is to invent such an apparatus as may be manufactured and installed at an exceedingly low figure and particularly much below a cost of one hundred dollars to the home occupant based On present monetary values.

A third object is to predicate the invention in a novel manner upon the use of outside atmospheric air drawn through a ground contacting or subterranean cooling duct.

A fourth object is to provide such a construction as will coaot with the fan-motor casing of a conventional gas, oil, or other foroed air heating system, since use will be required only when heating is not required, that is, when'the outside atmospheric air, for instance, registered 80 F.

A fifth. object is to provide the air intake and cooling duct with novel water holding means to enhance cooling of the air passing therethrough capable of ready installation and replacement, and preferably in units arranged in staggered relation to enhance cooling of the air passing through the duct.

A sixth object is to employ a novel screen means to protect the air intake and cooling duct against the entrance of dirt and other foreign matter, and at the same time efficiently spread water to the holding units mentioned.

. Further it is desideratum to provide such an apparatus in which the duct is in sections joined to exclude water and optionally surrounded by absorbent sheet material like paper, felt, or the like as an aid in the eflicient spreading or distribution of the water and in the protection of the duct against the entrance of dirt or other foreign matter into the cooling units.

Various additional objects and advantages will be pointed out or becomeapparent from a consideration of the description following, taken in connection with the following drawings of one suggested operative embodiment, wherein;

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective, partly broken away of the basement of a building equipped with my improvements and terrain about the foundation of the building;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective, partly broken away, of a portion of the cooling duct;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical view partly broken away taken longitudinally of the cooling duct across a nace which houses a conventional fan-motor unit FM is shown at 13. Any conventional means to circulate air from and return it to chamber 713 may be used. For instance, as in the basement 11 arranged between the floor joists or in any advantageous manner, one or more ducts 14 supply air to air-forcing chamber 13 from which it is blown to one or more rooms of the building 10 through distributing pipes or the like 15.

In lieu of the parts of the suggested conventional air 0 heating system being used for heating purposes, appropriate parts of that system may be used for cooling purposes according to my present invention. Thus, when air cooling is desired during those months when the furnace is not fired, the fan-motor unit FM ,is operated to draw in outside atmospheric air through the forcing chamber 13, and discharge same through the ducts 15 into the rooms of the building.

'For this purpose the adjacent ends of the sections 18 and 19 have continuous outwardly hooked flanges 20 and adjacent pairs of such flanges are surrounded and engaged by continuous straps or connectors S having continuous inturned hook flanges 21 engaging the flanges 20 and therewith providing watertight joints at the meeting zones of the sections 18 and 19.

In order to cool the air within the building, air from the outside thereof is drawn into fan chamber 13 by the fan-motor FM through an exterior supply conduit generally designated C and its preferably central outlet branch 16 connected directly to said duct 14 leading to said air forcing chamber 13. Said branch 16 extends watertight from one of the sections 19. The cooling conduit C is ground-cooled or subterranean being, for instance, embedded in the ground outside of the basement or cellar 11, say being approximately eighteen inches below the level of the ground, so as to be influenced by and take advantage of the temperature at that location which is always cooler, usually at least ten to fifteen degrees: cooler than it is above ground.

While conduit C is preferably located outside of the building 10 and as well on the north side of the building, yet it will still produce the cooling effect if its walls contact the ground preferably embedded in the earth at any side of the building or even embedded in the earth at any suitable location below the floor of the building 10.

Such cooling conduit C at opposite ends has inlet sections in the form of elbows 18 rising at least to the ground level, so that streams of atmospheric air may be drawn in both ends of the conduit C, meet therein, and pass through the branch 16 to which it is suitably detachably connected into duct 14 and thence the air forcing chamber 13 from which it is discharged by unit FM through conduits 14 into the interior of the rooms.

Said air cooling conduit C may be of any. desired construction but is usually built in sections. Such sections, for instance, may comprise the two end or elbow sections 18 and a greater number of intermediate sections 19. All of the sections 18 and 19 are tubular and in cross-section may be round, square, or otherwise, as preferred, and they may be made of any appropriate material such as ceramic, galvanized iron, or other coated metal which will best withstand the moisture to which it is subject in use. Said sections 18 and 19 are separably connected together. In order to filter air drawn into the sections 18, their upper or entrance ends are capped by a screen, or the like, as at 22.

The cooling effect of the air passing through the conduit 15 is enhanced by the supply of water in any appropriate quantity onto the exterior of the cooling duct sections 19, the water being obtained from the main supply to the the building 10, or otherwise, the same flowing through the piping 23 which is disposed on the top of the sections 19 and usually throughout the entire length thereof.

8 Clips 24 detachably engage sections 19 to position said 'manually or automatic, so that the supply of water may be regulated as to quantit, be continuous, or intermittent, as preferred.

Mounted vertically in each duct section 19 are a suitable number of containers or air cooling units 27 which may be cylindrical, square, orotherwise shaped crosssectionally, as preferred. The units 27 are of imperforated tubular material, being thus open at top and bottom. As shown, containers 27 are filled with rubber, such as foam porous sponge rubber, sponge, or the like material comminuted or otherwise, as preferred, so as to absorb or retain water and better enable the containers to function as a cooling means for the air drawn through duct C. Note that the units or containers 27 are stag- .gered, as shown, or otherwise, so as to baffle the air to further cool it in its passage through conduit C.

The water from piping 23 is distributed through ports 26 onto the top, side, and bottom walls of the sections 19, and into the containers 27 and onto the material-28.

Said containers 27 extend through and below openings 29 in the bottom walls of sections 19, having outwardly bulged ribs 30 resting on such bottom: walls. The top walls of said section 19 in line with the containers are cut away at $1 and the margins of the material at the cut away portions is so bent or swaged inwardly at flange 32 as to secure the containers watertight to both the bottom and top walls.

Across the tops of each of the sections 19 are removably laid foraminous wire or other porous screens 33.

The screens 33 protect the interior of the containers 27 against the entrance of dirt or other foreign matter and also perform the important function of spreading the water from 2 6 evenly over the tops of the duct sections 19 and in directing same over and about the containers.

To further cool the duct C, it preferably has a removable wrapping 34 \Of paper, felt, or like material which will absorb some of the water introduced through the jets 26.

'It will-be understood that in operation with the fanmotor unit FM being in operation, but with furnace 12 not fired, as in the summer months, atmospheric air will be drawn through the entrances 22 of the two elbows 18, cooling conduit C, branch 16, and duct 14, such air being bafiled and further cooled by contacting the staggered units 27 and into the forcing chamber FM fromwhich it is discharged or distributed through the pipes or conduits into the interior space of the building.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a cooling system for buildings and the like,

(a) means to circulate air therein having a forcing chamber through which air is delivered,

(b) a cooling air duct communicating with. said chamber,

(0) means to supply wat'er about the exterior of said cooling duct to cool air passing therethrough,

(d) said duct having a plurality of sections,

(e) each section having an outwardly extending hook' (7") straps having hook flanges interengaged with said 'hook flange-s,

(g) said sections having staggered containers open to the passage of water therethrough,

(h) moisture retaining means in said containers,

(i) perforated piping to supply water over the exterior of said sections,

(j) screen means on said duct sections, to receive water from said piping, and

(k) absorbent water-spreading material about said cooling duct and adjacent piping.

2. In a cooling system for buildings and the like,

(a) means to circulate air therein having a rforcing chamber through which air is delivered,

(b) a cooling air duct communicating with said chamber, V v (c) means to supply water about the exterior of said cooling duct to cool air passing therethrough,

(d) the duct having a plurality of moisture-retaining elements therein to reduce the temperature of air passing therethrough,

(2) said elements being containers,

(f) said containers spanning the duct from top to bottom, and

(g) being open at the top for entry of water.

3. In a cooling system according to claim 2 wherein (h) the upper ends of said containers are substantially at the level of the top of said duct so that water [will drain from said top into the containers.

4. In a cooling system according to claim 2 wherein (11) said duct has upper and lower walls in spaced relation;

(1') said upper wall having a flange extending into the upper ends of said containers whereby the entrances of the containers are substantially at the level of said upper wall for drainage of water [from the upper wall into the containers; and

(i) said containers having outwardly extending ribs resting on said lower wall. 8

References Cited in the file of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS Callan Dec. 8, 1959 

1. IN A COOLING SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS AND THE LIKE, (A) MEANS TO CIRCULATE AIR THEREIN HAVING A FORCING CHAMBER THROUGH WHICH AIR IS DELIVERED, (B) A COOLING AIR DUCT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER, (C) MEANS TO SUPPLY WATER ABOUT THE EXTERIOR OF SAID COOLING DUCT TO COOL AIR PASSING THERETHROUGH, (D) SAID DUCT HAVING A PLURALITY OF SECTIONS, (E) EACH SECTION HAVING AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING HOOK FLANGE, (F) STRAPS HAVING HOOK FLANGES INTERENGAGED WITH SAID HOOK FLANGES, (G) SAID SECTIONS HAVING STAGGERED CONTAINERS OPEN TO THE PASSAGE OF WATER THERETHROUGH, (H) MOISTURE RETAINING MEANS IN SAID CONTAINERS, (I) PERFORATED PIPING TO SUPPLY WATER OVER THE EXTERIOR OF SAID SECTIONS, (J) SCREEN MEANS ON SAID DUCT SECTIONS, TO RECEIVE WATER FROM SAID PIPING, AND (K) ABSORBENT WATER-SPREADING MATERIAL ABOUT SAID COOLING DUCT AND ADJACENT PIPING. 